Will It Be Alright?
by sapphire blue-ruby red roses
Summary: The sequel to What Will You Do? Mai's in a coma and Naru's slipping into his own emotional coma when the head doctor brings them a case. Two children ghosts have causing havoc and the hospital needs SPR's help. What will you do Naru? Rated T to be safe
1. Chapter 1: Waiting

**Here you go, the first chapter of the sequel to What Will You Do? Hope you enjoy it.**

Chapter 1: Waiting

Naru sat next to Mai's bed in the dark hospital room, letting every beep of the heart monitor reassure him. It'd already been three months since the end of their last case. Since then Mai had made no indication of waking anytime soon.

"Wake up soon Mai," Naru murmured, resting his head on his folded arms and stroking her cheek with his index finger.

Naru hadn't left Mai's side since she'd been placed in this room except to take a five minute shower and to use the bathroom. Though he seldom ate anymore, he always ate in her room.

Outside the door, the heart monitor of another patient flat-lined. Doctors and nurses sped towards the room, yelling for assistance. Naru was tuning them out until he heard a nurse screech, "Someone unplugged her breathing machine!"

"There was no one on this floor," the doctor said back, his voice faint with exertion.

Naru's mind began to whir, compositing plausible scenarios before he shut it away with a snap.

…..

_Mai sat on the depthless ground, staring around. She didn't know how long she'd been here alone. It felt like eternity. Since she'd been deposited here she hadn't seen hide nor hair of either Gene or the boy in the cage. She wondered how Naru was for the hundredth time, wishing he were there with her to comfort her in his odd way._

_Tears sprang to her eyes as she thought of never getting out of there ever again. She buried her face in her arms. She didn't want that. She wanted to be with Naru. She wanted to be taking care of the baby growing inside of her._

_Mai heard a tapping of shoes. It wasn't just a random pair of shoes though. It was ones she knew well and anticipated. With a gleeful smile, she jumped up. Not far from her was that infuriating twin of the man she loved. "Gene!" she cried happily, running and throwing her arms around him._

"_Mai," Gene said, catching her in a tight hug and spinning her around, "It's so nice to see you again." He kissed her on the top of the head._

_Mai buried her face in his chest, soaking up all the warmth she could. It wasn't cold in the void, it wasn't any temperature there, but she'd felt cold the moment she'd landed there. "I've been so lonely. I've missed you so much," she murmured, her words muffled by his shirt._

"_Why have you been lonely? Hasn't my idiot brother been keeping you company?" Gene asked bemused, wondering if there was something wrong with his brother or if he was simply insane._

_Mai shook her head. "I've been stuck here for I don't know how long. I've been so lonely. I haven't even seen the boy in the cage," she half-sobbed, suppressing most of it._

_Gene was shocked. He pulled back, staring down at Mai. "What happened? Why are you stuck here?" he asked, worried to find out the answer. There were a million causes and Mai had most likely attracted the worst of them._

_Mai shook her head. "I don't know. The princess possessed me. She talked about an ability I didn't know I possessed and that there might be side effects because my body wasn't accustomed to it. After that they went to help exorcise the prince. The knight did that thing Naru can do, but the princess was touching him and absorbed the stuff that causes Naru those problems. When she left, everything went black and I've been stuck here ever since," she explained, staring up at Gene, hoping he knew what was wrong._

_He stared at her wide-eyed. That was one possibility he hadn't even considered. His face relaxed. He stared down at her seriously as he asked, "Do you remember what I told you I could do when I was alive?" When she nodded he went on. "It seems you have the same ability. You're stuck here because you couldn't handle the extra energy that is flowing through your body."_

_Mai stared up at Gene uncomprehendingly. "I-is there something we can do?" she asked, pleading even though she was trying not to be._

"_I think so, but it'll take a little while. I hope my idiot brother can wait just a little bit longer. At least he'll have a case to focus on." Gene sound unconvinced even to himself._

…..

"Shibuya-san?" A small, shy doctor poked her head into Mai's room. Her hair was black, pinned up in a bun on top of her head. She clutched a clip board to her chest, her white lab coat almost dragging on the ground.

Naru turned his sorrowful eyes towards the doctor. His face went blank, shoving all the emotions he was wallowing in to the back of his mind. "What is it?" he asked in an emotionless yet icy voice.

The doctor flinched, but still said what she had come to say. "The head doctor would like to see you in his office. Your coworkers are here to keep Taniyama-san company," she said, opening the door more to let Ayako, Monk, John, Masako, Yasu, Emma, Lin and a very pregnant Madoka in.

"Hey Naru-chan," Monk and Yasu said with hellos from everyone except for Lin who just nodded.

Madoka feeling very motherly walked over to Naru and wrapped her arms around him. "Don't worry, it will be alright. She'll be fine," Madoka murmured so that only he could hear her. Naru kept his arms at his sides, but he uncharacteristically whispered a 'thank you' to her. She smiled at him as she pulled away and pressed her lips to his forehead.

"Now that is just weird," Monk tried to joke, "I thought I'd never see the say when the great narcissist got hugged and kissed like he was a child." Everyone gave a half-laugh and Naru glared daggers at him as he made his way to the door. Lin followed him, his laptop tucked under his arm.

They hurried up to the head doctor's office, quietly knocking on his door. "Come in," came the quiet, calm voice of the first doctor who had looked at Mai when she had contracted the princess' disease. Naru didn't mind this doctor because he'd tried to help and he didn't gawk at Mai like she was something to eat.

Naru pushed the door open softly to see the doctor. He looked older than he had the last time they'd been there. His light brown hair was greying and cut close to his head. He wasn't balding yet, but he showed signs of it. He had a kind smile on his lips even as he ran a hand over his face and through his hair. He looked absolutely tired. "Good evening, Shibuya-san. Please take a seat," the doctor said, gesturing to two uncomfortable looking chairs in front of his desk.

Lin led the way, taking the seat on their left. Naru took the right. "Doctor Hasegawa, what may I ask is the nature of this meeting?" Naru asked once he had settled in as much as he could away from Mai.

The doctor took a deep breath, running this hand over his face again. "I would like to…hire you. We've been having some odd happenings as of late and we fear for our patients' health," he told them slowly.

Naru looked to Lin who was already typing away at his laptop. "What makes you believe these happenings are paranormal?" he asked next.

"In the middle of the night, patients will be moved to different rooms. They don't remember anything happening and the nurses don't see or hear anything. Some of the patients have reported seeing a pair of little kids, a girl and a boy who look like siblings, running around. The only children are down on the first floor in the cancer ward. Last, and the most disturbing, is that someone will go around unplugging equipment vital to patient's life or removing their oxygen mask and so on. It would be very much appreciated if you would help us," the doctor said, standing and giving a deep bow.

Naru didn't give a second thought about it. He needed something to distract him even if he wouldn't admit it. "We'll take your case. We'll use Mai's room as base, it's big enough and we're quiet. If you don't mind, we'll need feeds to your security cameras," Naru said, getting to his feet.

"Of course, thank you very much. We'll do everything we can for Taniyama-san," the doctor said.

Naru nodded his thanks as he and Lin left the room.

**Whoo! The first chapter for the sequel! Man was Naru OOC xD Hope you liked it anyway! Please review (:**


	2. Chapter 2: A Wolf and An Otter

**Okay, so I sorta kinda sniggered the animal and color and flower and element idea thing from Music-Lover2011 who writes Love Bound: Night Calling, but it was really cool and I wanted to try it, so I will turn this idea over to her and not take credit for it. I added in the tree thing as my own touch. No, not everything is the same. I picked a different animal, colors and flowers, but the elements are sadly the same, I just couldn't dispute over them. Hope you guys like it anyhow.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt**

Chapter 2: A Wolf and An Otter

_Mai giggled again. Gene rubbed his forehead. "What's so funny this time?" he asked, staring pointedly at where she was sitting with her legs crossed on the 'ground'. Her hands were resting on her knees, her fingers making little O's. She'd been trying to meditate for over an hour here. It wasn't working too well._

"_Nothing, nothing, I just can't concentrate. Stuff keeps floating through my mind," she said, covering the smile on her lips with a hand._

_Gene rubbed his forehead some more. "Then act like you're falling asleep. Visualize black, complete darkness like someone turned off all the light while you were in the basement," Gene explained making Mai shiver at the thought, "Once you've done that and since you can't seem to stay focused, let your mind wander, flipping through your memories like a photo album."_

_Mai was already visualizing what he had told her as he fell silent. He sat across from her, thinking of how hard this had been for him when he was younger as well. Even though Naru wasn't a spiritualist like himself it had come naturally to his twin brother. Naru had been so smug about it too._

"_You'll know what you're looking for when your see it. When you do see it, grasp it and bring it towards you," Gene murmured quietly._

_She barely registered his words, her mind far off in the files that made up her memory. It wasn't long that she was looking through her memories that a warmth and coolness enveloped her at the same time. She gasped, but kept her eyes closed. Slowly she pulled them both around her, soaking them in._

"_Very good," Gene said, touching her shoulder._

_Mai cracked open her eyes, afraid of what she might see. What she saw took her breath away. She grinned as she stood up, staring around at what the void had become. Water coated the 'ground' coming up to mid-calf on Mai. Patches of fire dotted the water, only small lanes of water between each circle. It looked like the Everglades in Florida. On top of the water floated dandelions interspersed with pale blue primrose. A large old cypress tree loomed in the distance against an orange-brown sky. "This is beautiful," she breathed, staring around with a large smile._

_Gene grinned, happy that she was excited. "You haven't seen everything yet," he said, glancing down at her feet._

_Mai tilted her head in confusion. "What do you-?" she started to ask just as something swirled and brushed against her feet. The something made a type of chitter-grunt. Mai shrieked, jumping. When she looked down she came face to face with a small otter. It made the chitter-grunt again and grinned at her._

"_Meet your spirit representative Mai. I must say, an otter is something I considered," Gene told her, crouching to pet the otter as she paddled over to him, "Let's see, water and fire, brown and orange, a cypress tree, primrose and dandelion, and an otter. This is interesting."_

"_You never told me this is what I would find," Mai said, still looking around with a smile. The otter made a sound like a high-pitched seagull call. Mai looked back down at her and sat down the water. The otter crawled into her lap, sniffing at her. She stroked her fur. "I think I'll name you Hikaru. How does that sound?" The otter chitter-grunted again._

_Gene laughed. "Oh well," he said._

"_Do you have this?" she asked, indicating the world she harbored inside herself._

"_Everyone does Mai it's just if they can contact it. Again, everyone can, they just have to know how," he explained._

"_Well, have you contacted yours?" she asked with a grin._

"_Of course," he said and an owl swooped down to rest on his shoulder, "No, I want you to try and project Hikaru into the real world. It'll take up a good portion of that energy." Mai nodded and focused on her new task._

…..

The moment Naru and Lin walked back into Mai's hospital room, Naru walked swiftly back to his chair. It had been left undisturbed. Instead, the other members of the team had pulled up chairs next to her bed. They were talking and laughing, even including Mai in the conversation like she was awake.

He sat down heavily in the chair, resuming his position with his arms crossed and his head resting on his arms. He hadn't even taken the time to give the team orders. It looked like the investigation with already going downhill.

Lin stood in the doorway, watching his young charge. Everyone had gone quiet, and they were staring at him expectantly. With a heavy sigh he said, "We have a case. We need to go back to the office and get the equipment. It'd be smart to get extra clothing as well."

Everyone was silent for the space of a heartbeat. "Okay, let's go," Monk said first, "I need to get a new shirt anyway." He jumped from his chair, pulling Ayako with him. "We'll get Naru's stuff since it's all the same."

"Alrighty, we'll get the equipment," Madoka shouted with a grin, slipping her arms through John's and Masako's.

"And we'll help," Yasu said, taking Emma's hand. He moved towards the door quickly, nearly running away.

Lin watched everyone leave before walking over to Naru. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "Get some rest and eat something. Letting yourself waste away won't make Mai happy or make her wake up," Lin told him quietly.

Naru didn't answer, but the rational part of his brain knew he was right. Lin sighed, tapped Naru on the shoulder and walked away. It was silent for more than an hour when Naru finally sighed. He sat back in his chair, staring down at his assistant.

"You have to wake up soon Mai. You have a baby to take care of soon," Naru murmured, brushing some hair odd of her forehead. He sighed again and stood up. He walked over to the food Lin had left him. When he turned back, he almost dropped the tray.

On the bed, there was a small brown otter sniffing Mai. It padded over her body, sniffing the bike now. It padded around for a little bit longer before nuzzling into the crook of Mai's arm and snuggled down.

Naru watched it for a long moment. It faded a little before coming back into focus. That was the indicator to what she was. She was Mai's animal representative. In an instant, like it was, a large pure black wolf with dark navy blue eyes came out from behind Naru. He padded over to the bed, sniffing at the otter and made a sound that said he was happy. He jumped onto the bed, lying down next to Mai. Naru walked over and took his seat again, petting the wolf. "Good boy, Daisuke," he said.

**There you go. Hope you liked it, I did. I still give the idea for the representative stuff to Music-Lover2011. Hope you liked it and please review :D**


	3. Chapter 3: Tears

**Here's the chapter that finally kicks off the case. Hope you enjoy it and find it fun and funny :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt**

Chapter 3: Tears

"_You're doing really well, surprisingly," Gene said astonished. Almost instantly after he'd told Mai to project Hikaru into reality Hikaru began to fade. She squeaked and ran around Mai, not fading completely. "She's a natural," Gene murmured more to himself than to Mai. She didn't seem to hear the comment anyway._

_The otter came to a sudden stop, staring out into the distance. Neither Mai nor Gene could tell what she was watching, or hearing. In one quick bound, she was gone under the water, swimming rapidly towards whatever she'd seen._

"_Where's she go?" Mai asked, staring after Hikaru._

"_Dunno," Gene said, staring after her suspiciously. He gasped in surprise when a large head bumped him in the back, pushing him into the water. Hikaru swam up beside him, jumping on his back and taking a seat. She chitter-grunted at Mai._

_Mai studied the animal that had bumped Gene curiously. She knew in the back of her mind that harbored her rationality, what little she had of it, that she should be afraid, but she wasn't in the slightest. Instead, she was comforted by its presence, like how she felt around Naru. With a small smile, she reached out and stroked the jet black wolf's head. It nuzzled into her hand, closing its eyes. Hikaru scurried off of Gene's back to curl playfully around the wolf's legs._

_Gene pushed himself out of the water, glaring back at the wolf. His hair flopped into his eyes, dripping water down his face. "Daisuke, how did you get in here?" he asked. His owl flew overhead, searching for a place to land. Gene looked up and called, "Tetsuo come on down, it's just Daisuke." The owl squawked and alighted on Daisuke's back._

_The wolf turned his head to glare condescendingly back. Mai could almost hear what was going through the wolf's mind. "__**How do you think I got here idiot**__?" he seemed to be saying._

_Now it was completely obvious who the wolf belonged to. He seemed to embody the very personality of the narcissist she loved so much._

_Gene seemed to know as well because he answered the unspoken question. "Well, I don't know. I was under the impression that my idiot twin was semi-catatonic."_

_Again what the wolf was thinking was completely obvious. "__**The operative word is semi**__."_

"_Don't get sassy with me," Gene shot back, glaring at the wolf._

_Without any warning, Tetsuo squawked agitatedly, taking flight again. Hikaru began hissing, backing up into Daisuke's shadow. And Daisuke started growling low in his throat his hackles rising._

"_What's the matter?" Mai asked just as the void snapped back into existence, erasing any sign that it had been different besides the three animals. Mai gasped, coughing as her chest tightened suddenly._

_Gene glanced around, jumping to his feet. "Looks like your ability has kicked in," he told her._

"_What ability?" Mai asked dumbly having completely forgotten what she'd been doing for over two years now._

_He said two simple words to reboot her memory. "Your dreams," he told her, raising an eyebrow at her to see if she got it._

"_Oooh," Mai said, her eyes growing wide and her lips making an O. They didn't get a chance to say anything else because the scene was starting to play._

_A little girl with long straight black hair sat in hospital bed looking like she was growing plastic tubes. Her bed was pressed up against another hospital bed that held a little boy with hair as black as her own. They looked like they could be siblings. The room was dark with only the light from a small window in the door to give it some light. Outside, the laughing voices of the nurses could be heard._

_It was quiet and calm for a long moment. Then, a figure with his features covered in shadow crept into the room. He looked around glancing through the small window to make sure no one was coming. He tiptoed over to the two beds, staring down at the children. "I'm sorry," the man said as he reached out a hand and started to unplug the machines the children were attached to._

_Instantly, their heart monitors flat lined. Their hands tightened around each other's unconsciously. Outside, the nurses were oblivious to the crisis going on in the room. The man let out a quiet sigh, Mai couldn't tell if it was in relief or grief, before slipping back out the window. The little girl gasped out something that Mai couldn't hear before hers and the little boy's hands both went limp._

…..

The team was walking back through the door carrying equipment just as the otter started to hiss and the wolf began to growl. Naru had a huge manila folder open in his lap. He looked up at the animals curiously, wondering what was making them make those noises. The team was oblivious to their presence for only a moment.

"Holy crap! What the hell?" Yasu shouted as he heard the growling and hissing, and turned to investigate. He was staring wide-eyed at the creatures on the bed.

"It's fine," Naru said with a sigh like it should be obvious.

"No it is not!" Emma protested, noticing what Yasu was shouting about.

"That's it! He's lost it! Naru's gone off the deep end," Monk said to Lin as Lin and Madoka walked through the door.

Lin sighed in exasperation, setting down the things he'd been carrying on one of the tables the doctors and nurses had brought it. "It's fine. Stop freaking out and calm down," Lin said, restraining himself from pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Are you crazy? There's a wolf and otter in bed with Mai!" Ayako shouted, waving her hands since she didn't know what to do.

"They're not going to hurt her," Naru said, closing the manila folder. That's when the wolf decided to lift his head and glare at the shouters with those familiar blue eyes. He was not in a particularly happy mood. The otter made a keening noise as she lifted her head with a solemn look.

Everyone went quiet, staring at the two animals and the two teenagers. Naru and the wolf were wearing the way expression, distaste and annoyance. The otter and Mai also wore the same expression, sad bordering on depressed. Trailing down Mai's face were tears.

The wolf, the otter and Naru instantly turned from the others, leaning over Mai. The otter keened, curling up in the crook of Mai's arm in a tight. The wolf licked away Mai's tears and Naru brushed them away tenderly.

"Is anybody else seeing what I'm seeing?" Yasu asked quietly to the whole group, trying not to disturb the scene.

"Yeah," John answered first followed by the rest except for Madoka and Lin who'd already known. They shook their head in disapproval. Madoka kept watching though while Lin turned to start unpacking.

Swiftly, Naru turned to face them. "What are you all doing standing around? We have a case to investigate. Get back to work," he ordered. Finally, the old Naru was back.

**There you go, the case has started! Hope you liked it and review please :D**


	4. Chapter 4: Awakening

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost hunt because if I did several of the characters might have had a few accidents by now. Oops.**

Chapter 4: Awakening

Monk sighed in exasperation, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We should have realized they were animal representatives, shouldn't we have?" he asked. He sat in one of the chairs around Mai's bed feeling dejected.

"Yes you should have," Naru said like they were the stupidest people in the world. He was standing on the other side of the bed.

"Except for us," Yasu cut in with a bright smile from over by the monitors, "Emma and me have a reason not to know."

Monk, Ayako, and Masako glared at the two of them. "Shut up, Yasu," Masako grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest angrily.

"Don't be angry, little bug," Yasu crooned teasingly patting her head, "It's just a fact of life." Masako bit at his hand uttering a curse at him under her breath.

"Stop messing around and go set up the cameras," Naru instructed as he shoved the last plug into the wall.

"Where?" Monk cried, still exasperated.

Naru gave him a look that said he had just lowered his standard of Monk. "I can give you a suggestion, but you might not like it."

"The room next to us, the second floor hallway…" Lin started to explain with a sigh before Naru could say anything else and make the situation that much worse.

Monk was opening his mouth to throw a retort at Naru when Ayako grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. She half dragged, half threw him out of the room. Masako grabbed a couple cameras and microphones. She fled the room after Monk and Ayako. John grabbed some more microphones and cameras, and ran for it. He shut the door just as they could hear Monk start to yell curses back at Naru.

Naru smirked. He turned his glare on Yasu and Emma who were still in the room.

Yasu's grin faltered. He grabbed Emma's hand and started pulling her to the door. "Um, come on Emma. Let's go research the hospital, yeah?" he asked even though he wasn't giving her a choice. He did not want to know what Naru would ask if they didn't skedaddle.

The moment everyone except for Lin and Madoka were gone, Naru sighed. He dropped into his chair, his eyes blank as he placed his hand in Mai's. They watched him for a little while, taking in and assessing his state. He may have acted normally around the others, but they knew the truth. He was still semi-catatonic and would act that way, putting up a front, until Mai woke up again.

"He's acting like he did when Gene died," Madoka murmured, "I feel so helpless."

Lin slipped his hand into hers and squeezed. "It basically is the same thing. The only difference is that Mai's heart still beats, she still dreams and breaths, but she's not truly here," he explained quietly.

As they watched Mai and Naru, Daisuke crawled up closer to them. Hikaru was still curled up in Mai's side. Daisuke settled his muzzle right next to her small body and Naru's head. Naru put his arm over Daisuke so that he could still hold Mai's hand.

"I want to cry," Madoka mumbled, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand.

…..

_Mai was still sobbing into Gene's shoulder when another scene began to play. She shook her head, digging her face into Gene's chest. "I don't want to see anymore," she moaned. Daisuke began to growl and Hikaru began to hiss._

"_This is important if you want to help those children," Gene told her quickly, stroking her hair. Painstakingly, he coaxed her to watch the scene. She kept one eye hidden and her fists around his shirt, but one eye was better than none._

_The little boy and girl were both still attached to the machines, but they were awake and sharing a bed. The little girl sat at the end of the bed while the little boy sat against the pillows. She must have been the older sister._

_They had a mess of different types of toys between them. They were playing. The boy had a huge playful smile spread across his face as he crashed the action figure in his hand into the one his sister held. She didn't have any hint of a smile._

_Behind a white partition that was supposed to separate the bed the kids were in and the next one apart, two shadows loomed. A woman and a man. They were arguing quietly._

_Suddenly, the woman burst out, "But they need you! How can you desert them? How can you desert us?"_

_The little boy's laughter faltered before dying away. The adults paid no attention._

"_I can't do this anymore! I can't deal with this!" the man yelled back._

"_You can't abandon them! I can't support them by myself! Please, they'll be better in a couple months. Please, they're your children!" the woman retorted, on the precipice of tears._

_The man shook his head. "I can't!" he yelled viciously back. The man tore back the curtain, storming to the door. He was stopped by a tiny voice behind him._

"_Daddy, where are you going?" the little boy asked, staring at him pleadingly. The man stopped with his hand on the doorknob, but didn't turn around or answer._

"_Please Daddy, don't leave again," the little boy pleaded, reaching out a hand towards him. The girl pulled him into her, not looking at the man._

"_Just go. Abandon us like you always do," she said scathingly, pressing her brother's face into her chest, "Just leave if you don't love us anymore."_

_The man didn't even look back as he opened the door and left. The mother and boy broke down crying while the girl glared at the door, rubbing her brother's back soothingly._

_The scene faded back to the endless void._

_Mai was sobbing again, pressing her face into Gene's chest. "I don't want to see anymore. Why do I have to see them?" she hiccupped, rubbing her face in his chest._

"_It's because you're still asleep. You'll keep having dreams unless you wake up. You have to wake up," Gene told her, pulling away so he could look her in the eye._

_Mai shook he head. "I can't. I don't know how," she sobbed, closing her eyes to his. Daisuke whimpered and Hikaru grunted, sniffing at Mai discontentedly._

"_Yes you can. Just think of all the people waiting for you in reality. Think of that idiot twin of mine who love you so much and is waiting for you to come back. Think of them and wake up. Wake up," Gene murmured, pressing his forehead to hers as he kept whispering those last two words._

_Mai could already see them. Ayako hitting Monk upside the back of his head. Madoka and Yasu teasing them mercilessly. Masako glaring daggers at her, but with a smile lurking behind her kimono sleeve. John trying vainly to calm the group down. Lin at his computer, looking back at the group with a mixture of exasperation and amusement artfully hidden and just peeking out. Naru with a book open on his lap. Naru giving her one of his rare smiles._

_**Wake up. Wake up. Wake up**__, Mai chanted at herself. When she opened her eyes, she was staring at Daisuke's black fur and a very familiar, sleeping face._

"Naru!"

**Well, there you go. Hope you liked this chapter. Sorry it took a while to put up. Next chapter will definitely have some ghosty activity and those asshats will probably be in it too. If you don't know who I'm talking about, don't worry. You'll know when you see them. Review please :D**


	5. Chapter 5: Back to Normal

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt because if I did, I wouldn't have to resort sticking Mai in a coma for three months for Naru to get a very big clue and the 12****th**** manga would be out in English.**

**Naru: …hey…**

**Mai: Well, it didn't take him that long.**

**Sapphire: It took him long enough -_-**

Chapter 5: Back to Normal

The team snuck into base, glancing around to make sure it was void of their ever blunt narcissistic boss. Their eyes scanned over Mai, taking in her, the wolf and the otter. Naru was nowhere in sight. They'd completely passed over him in their search. They sighed in relief, resuming their joking instantly with a laugh.

Lin and Madoka jerked their heads around towards the group with twin glares that could rival even Naru's. The team noticed neither of them.

Madoka growled low in her throat, not pleased with being ignored. She worked to push herself out of her seat, but Lin ran an arm around her middle, pulling her back into her seat. Their baby kicked at his arm in aggravation.

Masako walked up to Mai's bedside on the side that didn't hold Daisuke or Hikaru. She placed a small teddy bear next to her head on her pillow and a card on her bedside table. It was handmade with numerous signatures and messages. She hid a smile behind her kimono. No matter how much she denied it, she was actually fond of the girl. "Look Mai, your classmates sent you a teddy bear and card. They're really worried about you, so you better wake up soon," she told the girl. She was turning away when something caught her eye. Doing a double take, she let out an audible gasp.

"What is it?" the rest of the group crowding around and staring at what she'd seen. They were staring down at the actually sleeping Naru.

"He looks so peaceful when he's asleep," Emma murmured, blinking before walking around the bend, pulling the extra blanket off the end of Mai's bed. She draped the blanket around Naru, pulling the book off of his lap and setting it on the side table. "I'm glad he's finally sleeping. Mai's will be too." She used the future tense instead of the past tense like most of the others had been.

"I think we all are. Come on, let's leave him be. He deserves the sleep," Ayako uncharacteristically said affectionately.

Monk and John nodded, leading the group away from the two sleeping teens. They sat across the room, whispering quietly amongst themselves. They were so absorbed in their own conversation that no one except for Masako noticed the murmur coming from the bed. Madoka was dozing, her head resting on Lin's shoulder.

"…wake…up…" Masako heard someone whisper almost inaudibly from behind her. She stopped mid-sentence, looking back over her shoulder to see if she'd been imagining it. There was nothing there.

She turned back, opening her mouth to continue what she'd been saying when she heard it again. She whirled around, staring around at the virtually empty room. "What is it Masako?" John asked, watching her, "Is something wrong?"

"I thought I heard something…" she said slowly, her voice trailing off as she heard the whisper again, "It must have been a passing spirit." She didn't believe that though because she hadn't sensed anything.

They were in the middle of a round of Uno when Masako heard Mai's voice gasp happily, "Naru!" She disregarded it, chalking it up to an overactive imagination until Daisuke ran up to her with a bark, wagging his tail like mad with Hikaru behind him doing her odd chitter/grunt.

…..

Naru floated through his dreams, growing nostalgic as his mind gave his a make-believe world he'd been wishing for for three months. He wasn't one for these types of dreams because though his wished for them to be real, his overly rational brain always reminded him that they were fake.

This had to be the one occasion that he deeply despised his brain.

He was attempting to exact himself from one such dream when the voice he'd been longing to hear called his name. His mind: _It's just your imagination giving you what you want. _Little voice in the back of his mind that he never listens too (aka his desires): _It's really her. Follow it!_

With a sigh, he floated through the black void of his mind, trying to ignore both the voices that infiltrated his mind. Idly, he wondered if he'd gone insane. Suddenly, he was shaken forcefully and a soft hand was pressed to his cheek. Again, his name was called by that familiar voice.

This time, for once, Naru followed his desires. His eyes fluttered open to stare at Mai's tear streaked face. For a moment, he thought he was hallucinating. When she didn't disappear, his eyes widened. "Mai-" he got out before Mai grabbed both sides of his face to press her lips to his. He didn't try to pull away. Instead, he pulled her closer, dragging her almost out of the bed and into his lap.

"What-?" Masako's voice started to ask when she cried indignantly, "Oh my gosh! Mai! Naru!"

"Why are those to over here? Hey Masako, what are you yelling about?" Ayako asked, turning to look where she was looking. Her jaw dropped to the floor at the kissing couple.

Mai and Naru pulled away from each other, absorbed in their own little world, completely oblivious to their yelling teammates. Yasu was wolf whistling while holding Monk back with John. Monk was on his feet, yelling all the curses he hadn't gotten to yell at Naru earlier. Emma was clapping enthusiastically. Ayako was still speechless. Masako was watching the two, turning around with an envious look in her eyes. She wasn't particularly envious of the two, but more of what they had together. Lin and Madoka were just watching, Madoka grinning like a fiend and Lin with an almost indiscernible smile.

"I missed you so much!" Mai cried, wrapping her arms around Naru's neck, nearly falling out of her bed.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you," Naru said, finally pulling her out of her bed as he stood, "Three months. I've waited for three months."

"And I've waited for an eternity," Mai quipped back, staring up into his eyes defiantly, "But that doesn't matter."

Naru didn't say anything. His answer was to pull her into another kiss. She smiled into it. A cough behind them broke them apart and with a long suffering sigh from both of them, they turned to the rest of the team.

"Hey guys, I missed you," Mai said with a bright smile, using Naru as her crutch. You know how when you wear a cast and your leg or arm or whatever becomes all noodle like? That's how she felt.

They were silent for a long moment and then they all broke into laughter. Monk ran over to Mai, scooping her into a bone crushing bear hug. "We missed you Mai!" he shouted.

Ayako was hanging into Mai not caring if Monk was already hugging her. "Three months and that's all you have to say?" she cried, crushing Mai as well.

"We all missed you," Emma supplied as everyone joined in the hug.

…..

"I'm going to go get tea," Mai announced, walking to the door. She was dressed in an extra pair of Naru's clothes because everybody else's was already dirty. They hung limply on her small frame and since she hadn't actually eaten any real food in three months she was a bit skinny making them look even bigger. Essentially, she was drowning in his clothes.

"Oh no, you're not," Naru protested, pulling her back into him and away from the door.

"But I haven't done anything since waking up. I know you've been itching for tea," she retorted back staring at him defiantly like she always did.

"That may be true, but you're too weak and too vulnerable to do anything right now."

"No I'm not! I'm fine!"

"No you're not."

His calm was beginning to infuriate her. "Well you know what I think? You can shove that order right up you…"

She was cut off by Emma who clapped her hands. "Mai, don't you want a shower? I bet you do after being asleep for three months. Masako and I will go with you," she said, grabbing Mai's hand and pulling her towards the door. "We'll bring back tea!" she called over her shoulder as the door slammed behind them.

She gave a relieved sigh. "That was a close one," she said with a lopsided grin, "You know, Naru has barely gotten any sleep since you were in a coma. Today was one of the maybe ten days he's slept throughout these three months."

"Really?" Mai asked, guilt crawling through her veins like the drugs that had been keeping her alive this whole time and showing in her voice.

"Yeah, he's been really worried about you. He basically became a zombie. He barely ever ate either," Masako told her.

Mai's face fell. Suddenly, she found her feet very interesting. "I didn't know. I was all alone until several hours ago, well in my dream world. It had felt like an eternity that I was waiting there. I was so lonely," she murmured, "I wish I could have done something to help him."

"You did. You woke up," Emma told her, rubbing her back.

Mai grinned at her, masking that guilt that still resided in her. "Now about that shower…"

…..

Mai stood under the water, reveling in the heat and feel of being clean. She sung softly to herself as she scrubbed at her body, taking her time. She'd been asleep for three months, the decided that it was a luxury she was allowed to take. Masako and Emma sat in the locker rooms, chatting to each other. Their voices suddenly stopped. A second later, Emma laughed loudly.

"Hey Mai, we, uh, have to go get something really quick. Will you be alright?" Emma called, trying to smother her giggles.

"Sure," Mai called back apprehensively, wondering what those two could be giggling so hard about.

"A-alright! We'll be right back!" Masako called, her laughter even less disguised. Before Mai could respond she heard the locker room door slam.

"Weirdos," Mai muttered, continuing with her shower.

Almost instantly after the echo disappeared Mai could hear someone whispering. It didn't sound like Masako or Emma. Mai ignored it for a moment, washing off the last of the soap. Then she heard it again, louder and closer to her. This time it sounded like two children.

"Hello? I-is someone there?" Mai called, shutting off the water and wrapping a towel around her form. She stepped out of the shower cautiously.

"Hello," a little girl's voice answered with a giggle. There were small running footsteps.

Mai walked around a corner just in time to see two small hospital gowns disappear around the far corner. The locker rooms and showers were all a big circle. She ran after them. "Are you lost?" she called.

They giggled again. "Do you want to play a game?" they called.

"Sure, what do you want to play?" Mai called. She was a little scared to play was them, but she found it usually worked better than denying them.

"We're going to play hide and seek. Come find us," the girl called followed by more running footsteps. Mai waited for them to die away before going to search.

"Ready or not, here I come," she called, making no sound a she moved. She followed the giggles that she heard. She stopped at one of the showers where she could see two crouched figures behind the clouded glass. "I found you," she said as she threw open the door. The sight that greeted her made her scream bloody murder.

**Well there you go, hope you liked this chapter. I did say I would introduce the ghosts in this chapter, I just didn't tell you how big a part they would have *snicker* sorry 'bout that. I'm a little cruel. Well anyway, hope you liked it. I'm thinking about giving Monk a heart attack soon from something he witnesses, what do you think? Review please! :D**


	6. Chapter 6: Gore and Hair

**Due to the nature of the first paragraph, and possibly later scenes, I'm changing the rating to mature. Hope you like this chapter, though the first paragraph might disgust you a little bit.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt because if I did I'd be rich and not agonizing over my stories.**

Chapter 6: Gore and Hair

A grotesquely mutilated body lay in the shower. Her, or his, stomach was ripped open, their innards strewn across the tiled floor. Their face was mangled and ravaged as if by a wild animal. Crimson splattered the walls. The two children that had been in Mai's dream and that Mai had been heard stood next to the body grinning wickedly at her. Their teeth were sharp, canine-like. Blood and gore covered them from head to toe.

Mai's voice stuck in her throat as if she had swallowed a wad of caramel. Her eyes roamed over the scene growing larger with each passing. Somehow, the children's leers grew even wider than they already were. "We'll play with you again miss," the girl said, and then rushed her with the little boy in tow. Their mouths unhinged, opening wide to show blackness. They were going to eat her!

The scream that resounded from Mai's throat dispelled the oncoming spirits. They burst into tendrils of black smoke, congregating on the ceiling before disappearing through the air duct. A voice bounced off the walls with the banging of the door, calling her name, "Mai!"

Running footsteps rang off the tiled walls, drowned out by Mai's screams. The person who had run towards her gasped in horror followed by arms wrapping around her. Mai buried her face in the man's chest, squeezing her eyes closed so tight that she doubted she'd ever be able to open them again.

"Daisuke, go get Lin. Take Hikaru with you," Naru instructed before growling quietly, "Not even away two hours and you're already attracting danger. Couldn't they wait?" Naru scooped Mai into his arms as Daisuke gave a bark and bolted out the door. She broke down sobbing as he carried her out of the showers and sat down on a cool metal bench.

Not five minutes after Daisuke had disappeared with Hikaru hitchhiking on his back did Lin burst through the door followed by Monk, John, and Yasu. "What is it Naru?" he asked, hurrying over to them with concern etched in his eyes.

Naru didn't say anything, but he indicated the shower stall with a grim expression and jerk of his chin. The four men turned their eyes toward the shower, cautiously approaching it. "What the hell?" Monk cried in disgust as they all quickly retreated from the body.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Yasu muttered, running from the scene to vomit. When he came back he was shaking and bone white, but he still attempted at a joke. "Well, my lunch wasn't that great anyway." John, Monk, and he gave a half-hearted chuckle.

Lin stalked back to Naru, dropping heavily onto the bench beside him and dropping his head between his knees. "I think it was a doctor," he confessed, the image of the bloody lab coat stuck under the body crawling unbidden into his mind and bringing with it another image, "And I believe it was male. I don't know why he would be in the female locker rooms though."

"Call the police," Naru told him quietly, cradling the still hysterical girl against his chest, "Then go get Emma-san, Hara-san, Matsuzaki-san, and Madoka so they can take care of Mai. She needs to be-"

He didn't get to finish as Mai's mind finally caught up with their conversation. "No!" she screeched, clutching at his shirt with iron fists and jerking her head up. She stared fearfully into Naru's eyes. "Don't leave me!"

"Mai, they need to help you-" Again, he was cut off.

She shook her head unrelentingly. "I don't care! Don't leave me!" She strung her arms around his torso, clutching at his back, and buried her face in his chest.

He sighed in resignation. "Call the police Lin," Naru instructed again, standing up, "We'll be back at base in a few minutes." He grabbed up the clothes that had been left on the bench, taking Mai into the large family bathroom.

Behind them, Monk still had enough humor left croon, "Ooo, he's finally putting the moves on our Mai. Don't be too loud now, yeah hear? And use protection."

Naru shook his head. "Here, put your clothes on. I'm not going anywhere," he told Mai, setting on her feet and turning away. What lay in front of him now was a long window that covered the whole wall. Why a family would need such a large mirror he didn't know, but it wasn't the side of the mirror that interested him, it was what was reflected in it.

He watched as Mai pulled her underwear on under the towel before dropping it. Naru watched her unknowingly, analyzing everything about her. His eyes traveled over her small body, already changing to accommodate the baby growing inside of her. It wasn't until his shirt slid over her shoulders that he snapped out of his revere, a light ashamed blush crawling up the back of his neck and across his cheeks. Behind the door, he heard Hikaru and Daisuke give animal snickers. Naru scowled.

Mai turned back to him with a bright smile, running her hand through her damp hair. "You need to dry your hair. Are you trying to catch a cold idiot?" Naru said, pulling the towel from her hand. Her face flared angrily. She was getting ready to retort when Naru began rubbing her head down vigorously.

"Ah! God damnit! Naru!" Mai shouted indignantly, grabbing at his hands and pulling her head out from under the towel. Her hair stuck up in all different directions making her look like a rag-a-muffin. Naru quickly covered the smile that formed on his lips behind a finger, but he couldn't hide the resounding snort.

"What are you laughing about?" Mai shouted, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror behind Naru's shoulder. She stared at herself and burst into loud guffaws. "No wonder you were laughing. I look like something's been nesting on my head!" Mai started trying to flatten it.

Naru's mask struggled to come back up as he shook his head. "I think it looks nice," he said jokingly, sticking his own hands in her hair in a futile attempt to assist her.

"We're going to need an extra strength conditioner and a stiffed-toothed hairbrush the size of Tokyo," Mai giggled, her fingers getting entangled with Naru's.

"Don't over-exaggerate, but you might be right about the conditioner," Naru said thoughtfully as he tried to disengage his fingers, but it didn't work.

Mai laughed. She caught sight of herself again and then a thought filtered slowly into her mind. _Naru was facing the mirror while I was getting dressed._ She let her mind digest this new tidbit of information. When her mind came to a conclusion her face flared with embarrassment. "Naru! Why you little-!" Mai started to shout, but Naru cut her off with a swift kiss. If it were possible, steam would been bursting from her ears.

"I think it's time we get going before Monk starts making even more outrageous accusations," Naru told Mai, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the door. She was still shell shocked, and probably would be for the next hour, making her incapable of articulated speech.

Naru was a piece of work.

**There you go, hope you liked it, review please! :D**


	7. Chapter 7: Teasing

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or Yasu might have been murdered from so much teasing many many chapters ago.**

Chapter 7: Teasing

They were on their way back to base when Naru felt a tug on his hand the pulled him to a stop. He looked back over his shoulder to find Mai crouched against the wall, using the hand rail for support. She clutched at her stomach, squeezing her eyes shut. She panted and sweat dripped down her face.

"What's the matter?" Naru asked worriedly, his ever whirring mind going completely blank. For some reason, that seemed to occur quite often around Mai.

"I don't feel so good," she mumbled, curling in on herself more, "I feel like I'm going to be sick and it's really hot."

On the contrary, it was quite cold in the building. Like a switch had been flipped, Naru's brain began to whir again. "Morning sickness," he said simply, "And hot flashes."

Mai groaned in irritation. "I forgot about the part of pregnancy," she said, her face disgruntled.

Naru pulled her to her feet against her protests and started dragging her down the hall. "You need to eat something. It'll settle your stomach," he told her.

She blanched at the thought of food. After what she'd seen she was seriously considering going on an eternal diet. "I don't really feel like eating. I'm not hungry," she told him, looking at the wall.

Naru turned on his heel to face her, causing her to slam to a stop against his chest. She stared up at him with wide eyes. "You know you're a horrible liar," he said, placing a finger on her lips when she went to protest, "You haven't eaten for three months, I'm sure your baby is starving too. Solid food will do you both some good."

That silenced Mai into submission, but she didn't like it. She glared at him, her lips sealed shut, letting him pull her along.

…..

Everyone sat outside of base waiting as Mai was given her checkup. She sat on her bed in a flimsy blue polka hospital gown. "Well, it looks like both of you are completely healthy. I thought you both might be suffering from malnutrition, but you continue to amaze me even now," the doctor told her with a bright smile, "Now, why don't you get dressed and I'll tell your friends they can come back in in a few minutes."

"Alright, thank you Doctor Hasegawa," she told him, jumping to the floor and grabbing the clothes she had now officially stolen from Naru. She was pulling on the oversized pants when he shut the door behind him. She gave a sigh of relief, dropping to her knees with her head on the bed. She'd thought that her baby had been dying. She was so relieved to find out that he was completely fine.

"Hey Mai, you done yet?" came Monk's voice through the door followed by a short knock.

_Impatient bastard_, Mai thought in annoyance, but responded, "Yeah, almost. I'll be done in a moment." She quickly pulled on the rest of her clothes, tossing the gown onto her bed. "Okay, done!"

Her teammates flooded the room, congregating in the middle near her bed. "So, got any good news?" Yasu asked with a grin.

"I got the best news ever," Mai told with a wide excited smile, "My baby is perfectly healthy and so am I. Doctor Hasegawa told me that I'd start really showing this month and that we'd be able to tell his sex in another month or so. I'm convinced he's a boy though." She jumped up and down on the balls of her feet like a pogo stick.

"Well obviously from the way you keep saying 'he'," Monk pointed out with a roll of his eyes, mussing her hair in a brotherly way.

"Agh! Stop it, Monk!" Mai shouted, ducking under his hand and hiding behind Naru who looked back at her with an almost discernible amused expression.

Monk glared at Naru. "Aw, big brother's getting jealous," Yasu crooned, "There, there, it'll be okay. Big Brother Yasu is here for you." He patted Monk on the head, grinning up at him. He had a plan formulating in his mind and everyone could see it. The only thing was that none of them could figure out what he was planning.

"Hey! I'm her dad not her big brother!" Monk protested angrily, swatting at Yasu's hand.

Yasu danced away, grinning the whole time. "Wouldn't that be Lin though? He's so much more fatherly. And Madoka can be the mother. She's already half way there," he pointed out, sticking his tongue out at the aggravated monk.

"No, I'm the father and Ayako's the mother. Didn't we already decide this?" he asked, glaring at the joking boy.

"Oh, why so set on Ayako being the mommy? Could you secretly like her?" Yasu asked coyly, dancing around Monk like a little fairy.

Monk unfortunately for himself didn't catch on fast enough and yelled, "Of course I do. Are you dense or something?" His temper was quickly fizzling to its end. It wasn't long before his words finally caught back up to him. His face turned six shades of red in a millisecond. Behind him, Ayako stood with her mouth gaping open, her face as red as her hair. She was incoherent as she stuttered out some nonsense.

Monk jerked around, fleeing from the room before anyone could say anything with a quick, "I'll go see if they've identified the body yet."

We all watched him leave, everyone's mouths hanging open excluding Naru, Monk and Madoka. "I knew it!" Madoka cried, clapping her hands and grinning like she usually does. It was an odd sight with her stomach overly swollen.

With that, Ayako snapped to attention and ran after Monk shouting, "Houshou!" The last thing they saw of her was the flash of her red hair as she disappeared around the door.

"They're very familiar with each other aren't they," Yasu asked Madoka conspiratorially who nodded her assent. They scurried into a corner, giggling creepily. They glanced back at the rest of the group every so often.

"Um…" Mai said her eyes wide.

"Close your mouth before you start catching flies," Naru quipped at Mai, walking over to the monitors and going over the data that he hadn't gotten to check.

"Why don't you make me?" Mai challenged, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Don't dare me if you don't really mean it," he told her, glancing over his shoulder with a rare perverted grin.

Mai's face went deep red and she dropped her head in resignation. She growled under her breath, letting out a sharp yip when around were thrown around her neck. "Oh, don't be that way to your hubby Mai. You're supposed to fight back," Emma said with a giggle.

"Not if he's serious about everything he says," Mai explained, grinning in spite of herself.

Masako and John sat in two chairs by the window, staring at the group. "I'd say that Madoka would be the favorite aunt and Lin the favorite uncle," Masako suggested behind her hand, watching Lin tell Emma something that made her turn on Yasu with wide eyes, "And Emma would be the best friend."

"As would you. The best friend as well as the not-related-by-blood big sister," John told her with a smile, making those butterflies in her stomach flutter erratically. He could always see through her even if the others couldn't.

"Well, then you would be her big brother," Masako shot back jokingly.

"Then Yasu would also be the big brother, and Monk and Ayako would be the parents," John explained thoughtfully, looking up at the ceiling, "So what would that make Naru?"

Masako studied John out of the corner of her eyes. She took in his silhouette, trying to be conspicuous about it. John glanced over at her. Their eyes met and they said their answers together. "The guard dog." Masako burst into giggles accompanied by John's quiet laughter.

"I think he'd be more of the over-protective boyfriend," Yasu whispered, making Masako shriek in surprise. She clutched at her kimono, trying to control the fast beating of her heart.

"I think it would be both," Lin said. He'd walked over with Yasu while the three teenagers and one pregnant woman made a scene. Only if they had a video camera on hand. Sometimes Lin thought Naru purposely had them set up every single camera during cases just so they didn't have a means of taping him.

Yasu was just getting ready to reply when Monk and Ayako slammed against the door, tumbling through. "Stop messing around you two," Naru ordered even as he mussed Mai's hair. Hypocrite.

They gasped, trying to gasp out something. "Th-the body…" they swallowed, "The body was…"

"The body was…?" Naru prompted impatiently, glaring at the two in irritation.

"It was Doctor Yoru, the one who was taking care of Mai at the Tsukiyomi house!" they shouted together.

**And cliff hanger! Haha, I'm so evil. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. We're starting to get a little more into the others' relationships, focusing mainly on John and Masako. It's too easy to work with Monk and Ayako XD. Review please!**


	8. Chapter 8: Accidental

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt because if I wouldn't have to worry about getting a part time job this summer.**

Chapter 8: Accidental

"Houshou!" Ayako shouted as she chased after Monk. Her heels were making it difficult to catch him. Cursing under her breath, she tore them off and took off at top speed. "Slow down you stupid monk!" she cried, her anger getting the best of her.

He didn't slow down though. For all h cared her words were raindrops in a puddle. He was running as fast as he could, his face burning in embarrassment. He took a flight of stairs two at a time, skipping every other step. He didn't care where he was headed as long as he got far away from that room. Dodging patients in wheelchairs and on crutches in the fourth floor hallway, he sped up the last flight of stairs. He burst out onto the roof, breathing in the cool air.

Ayako followed soon after him, colliding into his back. She flew back, almost falling to the floor when Monk grabbed her hand. It was more of a reflex than anything. She stared up at him, her breath coming in quick gasps. "What the hell… is wrong with you? I… I was… c-calling for you. Why didn't you stop?" she cried, clutching at his arm angrily.

Monk was staring down at her, his face still beet red. "Why did you come after me?" he asked, his large hand moving to cover his face.

"Because!" she shouted back, finally coming to the realization that he would have ended up asking that question in the first place. Her face went white as she realized what she had been contemplating on telling him. Did she even have the courage to tell him? "B-because… uh…" she stuttered, becoming incoherent.

"Hey old lady, you okay?" Monk asked, using the nickname he teased her with even though his tone was nowhere near teasing.

"I… I came after because… I came after you because…" She couldn't seem finish her sentence.

"Because?" Monk prompted finally building up the courage to look down at her. He almost laughed at the expression on her face, but he couldn't bring himself to break the silence. He watched her thoughts flit across her face.

"Well, I um, there's this thing to do with what you said, yeah know? And um…" Her face went from white as a sheet to redder than her hair. Now that was hilarious, and yet Monk didn't laugh.

"Oh my God," Monk said slowly, his voice and eyes growing more horrified with every second.

"What?" Ayako asked surprised, her eyes growing wide. Had he figured it out already? She was scared as hell.

"You… You only think of me as a friend. You're in love with someone else. I knew it!" he cried, letting go of her wrist like it was on fire and walking quickly away. He sat down heavily on a stone bench, dropping his head into his hands dejectedly. "I was afraid of this. I never should have let him provoke me. I knew this was what would happen."

An unwanted memory filtered into his mind. Mai and he sat on a wooden bench, and Ayako and John stood behind them. It was cold. They were in a park investigating Masako's case. Ayako had her elbows supported on the back of the bench, resting her chin between her hands. "If only Lin were here today, then I'd have some actual motivation," Ayako had gripped followed by a lovely comment from Mai.

"Huh? So you like guys that quiet?" she had asked.

"Just the hot ones," Ayako had responded unashamedly.

He'd known and yet he'd gotten his hopes up. Why? Why had he been so stupid? He just wanted to slam his head against a brick wall for his stupidity. A woman like Ayako would never go for a man like him. Not someone who was always teasing and making fun of her.

"What? No! No of course not! Why would I have followed you up here then?" Ayako cried, wondering why he would even think that. She'd chased him up several flights of stairs onto the roof with no shoes to do what? Reject him? Of course not!

Monk was in denial though. He shook his head stubbornly, refusing to look up. "No, you don't need to tell me. I already know. It was stupid of me to assume that you even remotely liked me as more than a friend. I'm sorry," he said solemnly, his voice holding the anguish he refused to show her.

"You're not listening to me!" she shouted in aggravation, stamping her foot, "I wasn't going to say any of that!" Though her words were loud they were repelled by the bubble of self-pity that surrounded Monk. In a fit of anger, Ayako forced Monk's face up and pressed her lips to his. That got him to listen.

She pulled away too soon for Monk's taste. Her face showed no hint of embarrassment while Monk's was once again red as a rose. "You're not listening to me. I wasn't going to say anything like that. Originally I was following you to tell you that I felt the same way, but apparently you refused to listen. Geez, is it so hard to listen to a simple 'I love you too'?" Ayako asked in one long breath, panting when she was done. She sucked in a long breath, staring down at him.

Monk stared up at her open mouthed. If it were possible, hit jaw would had dislocated and dropped to the floor because that's what he felt like. He was so stunned that the only world he could squeeze out in a strangled voice was, "Really?"

"Yes really! Are you dense or is you're old age finally catching up to you?" Ayako cried in exasperation.

Monk snapped out of his revere and into his teasing mode immediately. "Oh, that's funny coming from and old lady. I think it's you whose age has started to catch up to her. Is that a wrinkle I see?" he asked, standing up and pointing to a little spot next to her lip.

"What?" Ayako cried, grabbing the compact mirror she always kept on her person and checking the spot. "You are such a liar! There's no wrinkle there!" she accused, turning back and pointing at the spot. She was opening her mouth to say more, but Monk silenced her with a kiss.

"I've been waiting to do that for so long. You don't even know," Monk breathed once he'd pulled away, pressing his forehead to hers. She was speechless, staring up at him. He grew worried again. "Oh God, you didn't mean it. You were only joking when you said that you loved me too," he said, growing more worried with each passing second.

"I never said that!" Ayako cried, slapping him on the chest, "You are such a stupid man! You're almost denser than Naru!"

"Hey, that's not fair. Naru's really dense," Monk pouted, sticking out his bottom lip like a child.

"And yet Mai and he got together long before we did. How do you explain that one?" Ayako asked haughtily, staring at him with a grin.

"More stimulants and hormones," Monk said simply to which Ayako shook her head. She was just getting ready to kiss him again when Doctor Hasegawa burst through the door. He was breathing heavily and looked frantic.

Ayako and Monk jumped apart like hot coals had been stuffed down their fronts. They hurried over to the doctor. "What's wrong Doctor Hasegawa?" Monk asked as they reached him.

"I just found out the identity of the doctor who was found in the locker room. It was the doctor that had taken care of Taniyama-san Tsukiyomi-san. It was Doctor Yoru!" he said breathlessly, "You two were the closet ones. I had to tell you first."

Monk and Ayako stood there stunned for the space of a heartbeat. They looked at each other with wide, shocked. As if reading each other's minds they took off at full speed. They sprinted down hallways and stairs, nearly slamming into the wall as they skidded to a halt in front of the door to base. They threw it open, tumbling into base.

"Stop messing around you two," Naru said instantly even as he mussed Mai's hair.

"Th-the body..." they gasped, swallowing, "The body was…"

"The body was…" Naru said impatiently, glaring at them.

"It was Doctor Yoru, the one who was taking care of Mai was the Tsukiyomi house!" they shouted together, slumping to the floor in exhaustion.

…..

Naru stood, leaning against the table holding the monitors grilling Doctor Hasegawa for information. "Do we know why Docotor Yoru was in the **women's **locker rooms?" Naru asked, staring down at the man who was slumped in a chair.

"He had a… habit of spying on the other female staff while they were in the shower. I suppose he was down there because another female doctor had been down there or Taniyama-san," the doctor confessed pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes.

"Then why keep him as a staff member?" Naru asked next, not even concerned with what type reaction certain questions would elicit from the doctor.

The doctor seemed to be beyond emotion now though. He was numb from the inside out. "He might have had problems, but he was a brilliant doctor. We didn't want to lose that kind of knowledge," the doctor said, still refusing to look as anything.

"Did he have any enemies that would… do something of that caliber to him?" Lin asked next, attempting to censor his words unlike a certain narcissist they knew.

The doctor shook his head. "No. He may have had problems, but he didn't make a habit of making enemies, it just wasn't in his nature. There may have been people who didn't like him, but no enemies."

"Has the spirit done this before? Killed a doctor? Or maybe just a male in general?" Monk asked looking at the far wall as if her were contemplating something.

The doctor was silent for a long moment. "Not a doctor. It's been the first time since this haunting began that Doctor Yoru was down there. Other male patients or sometimes visitors sort of resembling Doctor Yoru would get hurt, but never killed. They mainly focus on male patients, but sometimes there will be a female who has brown hair and eyes that'll get caught up in this mess," the doctor said slowly, trying to make sure he got all the details.

All eyes turned to Mai instantly who was falling asleep in a chair with her head against Naru's hip. "This is going to get dangerous for Mai isn't it?" Masako asked, her sleeve covering her mouth, but her voice saying she was obviously concerned.

Before anyone could answer her question there was a frantic voice outside the door followed by an outraged voice. "Sir, you're not allowed in this room. The patients and her visitors aren't to be disturbed," said a high-pitched female voice.

"I don't give a damn!" the angry voice shouted, bursting through the door. The boy's eyes were wide, but not with shock. His blood-shot eyes scanned the room, coming to rest on Mai who had jolted awake. "Her! This is all her fault!" Ikki yelled, advancing on her. He was instantly blocked by six bodies, two of them female not including the snarling otter and wolf. Madoka, if Lin would have let her, would have been right up there with them. "It's her! It's all her fault! It's all her fault that Yoru is dead!" he raged, pointing an accusing finger at the cowering girl.

**Cliff hanger! So evil, I am so evil :D Anyway, hope you liked the chapter. I just wanted to show you what happened between the time Monk and Ayako disappeared to when they ran into base. I've never written anything to specifically do with them so it was an interesting change of pace. Again, hope you enjoyed this chapter and review please :D**


	9. Chapter 9: Hide and Seek

**I am so very sorry for the late chapter, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or it wouldn't have ended where it had.**

Chapter 9: Hide and Seek

"Tsukiyomi, you are not welcome here," Naru said, his refusal to use an honorific showing how much he really did dislike the boy. Actually, hate was the better word for the way he felt towards the boy.

"Fuck you!" Ikki screamed, advancing on the two, "It's you and your slut's fault that Yoru died!" For someone who was such a jerk with no friends he sure did seem to be very attached to Dr. Yoru.

Naru moved between Mai and Ikki. Ikki flinched back, the memory of being beat up while possessed quickly resurfacing. "You need to calm down or leave. I will not tolerate you calling my assistant derogatory terms or accusing her of being the cause of Dr. Yoru's death," Naru said icily, glaring the pissed teen down.

Ikki tried to stand his ground, but he almost nearly shrunk away. It was like two dogs fighting for dominance and the other easily won without having to try very hard.

Mai's hand twitched up, wrapping securely around Naru's fingers. She was scared as hell, but she was trying extremely hard to not show it. It wasn't working very well. Someone was going to have to give her a cookie for her bravery later.

It was only seconds after Naru had turned back towards Mai that Ikki broke from his spell. "You know what? Screw you! If it wasn't for you guys…"

Naru cut him off with a glare and snarled words, "Your sister might be dead today. Mai might not be in one piece and neither would you." He was staring him down again, and this time Ikki shut up.

…..

"Mai, you need sleep," Naru said, trying to push Mai back down on the bed again.

She struggled against his hands, growling and snapping at his wrists like a furious dog. "But I don't want to. I'm not tired!" she cried, still pushing against his hands. Actually, she was just scared that she'd either get stuck in the void once again or dream about Yoru. Neither was appealing and she doubted Naru wanted that to happen either.

Sighing in frustration, Naru finally let. He backed up, crossing his arms over his chest in irritation. He glared down at her as if that would actually force her into submission. When she didn't submit he gave another long suffering sigh. "Why can't you just be like normal girls and not fight against me?" he asked, rubbing his brow.

"Because you wouldn't like me then," Mai said confidently, sitting back up and crossing her legs. She grinned her grin, feeling triumphant that she'd finally won against Naru for once. She sat up straighter feeling haughty.

"That's true Naru," Monk said from the doorway where he'd been leaning against the door jam. He grinned, walking over to them and playfully ruffling Naru's hair. With an icy glare from Naru he decided it'd be better to muss Mai's hair. Even though Naru was relatively calm, he was still pissed from the confrontation with Ikki who sat in a conference room guarded by a big burly doctor.

"Anyway, I'm going to get out of here. I'm looking to get some actual food," Monk said, sticking his hands in his back pockets.

"And leave us hanging?" Mai cried, throwing up her arms in outrage, just as Yasu whispered in his ear, "Or get some from a certain red haired miko we know."

Mai heard that and laughed as Monk's face burst into flame. The blush crawled quickly down his neck and across his ears. "Ooo, he's right!" she crowed, holding her sides as she laughed and rolled around on the bed.

"Oh shut it you two. You're no better!" Monk snapped back, glaring at the two teens laughing together, "You're just leaving to you can get back to your own bed with Emma, Yasu!" He pulled his hands from his back pockets and crossed his arms defensively.

Yasu only laughed harder, not actually denying the claim.

"Hey, don't include me in this. I'm just as innocent pregnant girl who's not allowed to go home yet," Mai interjected with a too innocent smile. She rocked back and forth slowly, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. All she needed was the stripped purple and pink ears and tail. The image was almost comical.

"Don't play that with me. I know the moment we're out of here you two will be jumping each other like bunnies," Monk said, looking at Mai like she thought he was stupid.

"Takigawa, we're in a hospital. We're not in that much of a hurry," Naru responded making Yasu laugh and Mai blush almost as red as Monk. Monk's jaw dropped. Naru smirked at the reaction he'd been able to elicit from the two.

"Come on, you stupid Monk. Let's go before you four start an all-out war," Ayako said, grabbing the back of Monk's shirt and pulling him towards the door.

"Yeah, I think we should all get out of here," Emma said, smiling as she wrapped her fingers around Yasu's hand, "Stop harassing them, and let's get out of here. Bye Mai, Shibuya-san." She pulled Yasu towards the door, shoving him out it.

"Bye Emma, Yasu. See you guys tomorrow," Mai called, waving to them. They waved back before disappearing with Monk and Ayako.

Madoka grinned and then sighed. "I guess we'll go home too. We'll bring you a change of clothes next time Mai," Madoka said, heading for the door with Lin in tow, "You too, Naru. Don't do anything too bad while we're gone." She winked, and was gone. Masako and John followed them out with goodbyes thrown over their shoulders.

Silence settled over them only disturbed by the hum of the monitors and machinery. Naru sat in one of the chairs by the monitor and Mai stayed on her bed. She watched the monitors absentmindedly. She wasn't really taking anything in until two very familiar faces popped into a camera. The faces were of the little girl and boy she'd seen earlier that day in the showers.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," they called, grinning into one of the cameras.

Mai's eyes went wide. She began to shudder violently as she watched the children pop up from camera to camera. "We're going to find you Miss," the little boy called, his voice high like a girl's.

Naru didn't seem to be able to see or hear the children, reading the book he had opened across his knees. Mai could have thought he'd have been sleeping if it weren't for the quick movement of his eyes across the page.

The shudders that racked Mai's body increased exponentially as the children got closer and closer. "Not in here," the children said in a sing song voice each time they stuck their heads into a hospital room. Sometimes they lingered outside a door before moving away with smiles on their faces.

They stood outside her door now, smiling at each other. "Found you!" the children shouted, running through the door and jumping at her. Once again, their mouths opened wide, ready to tear her to shreds.

She shrieked and the world around her went black.

**There you go, hope you liked this chapter. I had some writers block and still kind of have it, so the chapters will probably be a little slow coming. Review please :D**


	10. Chapter 10: The Reason Why

**I didn't but this chapter in italics because the whole chapter is one big dream so I found it completely redundant and annoying. Hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or I would have a lot more friends.**

Chapter 10: The Reason Why

Mai was instantly thrust into a scene. She wasn't given a second's notice. She stood staring at a young girl with brown hair. The girl lay in a hospital bed, sleeping soundly. She had an oxygen mask over her face and an IV in her arm. It wasn't long before she started awake with a shriek, glancing around quickly.

"Mother?" the girl murmured eyes wide with fear. She could hear doctors and nurses rushing by her door. They were frantic yelling orders and for tools. Several doctors wearing green scrubs rushed past.

"She needs emergency surgery! We need to do it now!" a male doctor shouted, rushing over with his hands sheathed in latex.

The girl slipped from the bed, padding over to the door while dragging her oxygen tank with her. She glanced through the little window in the door. The doctor's back was to her, blocking the woman he was working on. She could only see dark brown hair. This was exactly how her dream had gone. What was going on?

The doctor worked tirelessly for a long time. He gasped. "Her heart stopped! Someone get the paddles!" he shouted, still working. Someone handed him paddles. He wrapped his bloodied hand around the handles. "Clear!" The doctor kept this up for more than ten minutes. Finally, the doctor stopped rubbing the paddles. He slowly put them down, backing away. "Kotaru Imai, died at twelve fifteen in the morning." With that, he stripped of his gloves and started pulling the white blood splattered sheet over the woman.

The girl just caught the woman's face before it was covered. Her mouth fell open slightly as she stared out at the covered form. "Mommy!" the girl cried, running out and throwing herself on the white form, "I saw this. Why couldn't I stop this?" Tears streamed down her face.

The children stood down the hall, watching the doctors and nurses swarm her and try to peel her off of her mother's body. "She's powerful. She will be ours," they murmured, those murderous grins splitting their faces.

The scene went dark and Mai was standing in the hospital room again. The girls sat curled up on her bed, sobbing quietly into the pillow. The children stood on the other side of the room, grinning evilly. Silently, they made their way over to the girl. "Oh miss, we would like to play a game with you," they said. The girl turned around just as they boy tore her mask off and the young girl pressed the pillow over the girl's face.

"No!" Mai screamed, slamming her hands over her eyes as she began to cry. That didn't stop her from hearing the muffled screams of the girl as she died. Once the girl's screams died away Mai was instantly thrust into another scene.

Another teenage girl with brown hair sat Indian-style on a hospital bed. She was hooked up to an IV giving her a blood transfusion. A teenage boy sat across from her on the bed. "Look, look, I can make it float!" the girl shouted, staring at a cup.

"Uh huh, yeah right," the boy laughed, watching her and the cup intently. He gasped when the cup started floating. It flew across the room and slammed against the wall as the girl flicked her head. "Woah!" he cried.

"See? I told you so!" the girl shouted, "I can bend spoons too!"

"Really? Show me then," the boy said, staring at the girl.

She grinned, grabbing a spoon up. She held in between her fingers, staring at it intently. "All you have to do is will it to bend," the girl recited, rubbing her fingers together with the piece of metal held between it. Before their very eyes, the spoon bent back slowly.

"Holy crap, how'd you do that?" the boy cried, staring at her with wondering eyes.

"I'm just awesome like that," the girl replied confidently, flipping the spoon into the boy's hands. He fumbled, but caught it none the less.

While the two teens continued with their banter, the little girl and boy watched them from a corner. "Another one, another one," the girl chanted quietly to her brother, here flat eyes boring holes into the girl's back.

A clock rang out nine o'clock and a nurse walked in. "Sir, visiting hours are over. You have to go now," she told him before stepping back out of the room.

The teens looked at each other pityingly. The boy slid off the bed and they hugged tightly. "I'll come back tomorrow right after school. Bye, see you tomorrow," he told her, kissing her on the cheek and then quickly escaping from the room.

Mai wanted to scream for the boy not to leave. If he left then the girl would die. But nothing came out. Her words stuck in her throat like someone had stuffed cork down her trachea. She watched in horror as the children came up behind the teen.

The little girl held a bottle of clear liquid in her hand and a syringe in the other. She tipped the bottle over, sticking the needle into the whole and pulling the plunger on the syringe. Clear liquid slowly filled it. When it was completely full the girl let the bottle slip to the floor. It smashed on the ground.

Mai just caught the glimpse of "Caution: Poisonous" on the label before it shattered into a million pieces.

The teenager swung around, stunned for just a moment too long. The little girl grinned evilly, stabbing the syringe and injecting the air and liquid into the teen's IV drip. She had enough time to say, "What?" before she started coughing. Blood splattered the white linens in spectacular fireworks. The teen's eyes went flat. She fell sideways into the pillows.

More tears slipped down Mai's face, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene in front of her. She watched the little kids climb onto the bed on either side of the teen.

"Ready?" the girl asked. The boy nodded and the reached their hands towards the girl. They set their hands on her. A bright light flowed up from the teen and up the kid's arms. They sighed happily, closing their eyes. They reveled in the feeling of the power slipping through their dead veins, bringing them life again.

Sobs burst out from Mai. She attempted to cover her eyes with hands, but two warm strong hands grabbed onto her wrists. "I'm sorry Mai, but you have to keep watching," the familiar, yet different, voice whispered in her ear. He pulled her hands down, pinning them to her stomach with his hands.

The sobs increased, but Mai obediently peeled her eyes back open to watch the continuing scenes. She watched as the scene replayed backwards. The boy came back. The sun crawled back up the sky. People came in and out of the room. The girl disappears. Different patients took her place. All the while the calendar slowly ticked backwards, showing the days passing with each rise and fall of the sun. The years followed, falling away slowly until two years had been erased.

The boy and girl lay in the beds again side by side. Their hands were still in the same places they had been before, but white bed sheets were unfolded over their faces. The mother sat on her knees making soft keening sounds into the bed covers. "My babies, my babies," she moaned, hiccupping every few seconds.

Two nurses stood outside the door, staring it at her. "Where's her husband?" one whispered to the other, quiet enough to be drowned out by the mother's sobs.

"I heard he divorced her just last week," the other nurse whispered.

"Really? Why?" the first nurse questioned, flabbergasted.

"Something about the mother and kids having supernatural powers. The father was freaked out by them and couldn't handle it. She apparently shared her power with her kids to sustain them, but it wasn't enough to keep them alive," the second nurse explained.

"How sad," the first murmured with a nod from the other. Finally, the whole world faded away to black. Mai was allowed to break down, and cry her soul out.

**There you go. I hope you liked it, it kind of depressed me though. Review please :D**


	11. Chapter 11: The Fawn

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or Mai would have ended up pregnant a long long time ago.**

Chapter 11: The Fawn

_Naru stared around at the place he stood in. It was an endless black void. Not the usual place where his dreams resided, but still, something felt familiar about this place. He felt compelled to move. Where? He didn't know, but he still acted on it. This was a dream right? What harm could come of it._

_A fawn with white spots on its back popped out from behind him. It nervously circled around in front of him, looking up at him cautiously. Something about the fawn seemed very familiar, but grace was not one of her qualities and she was pretty sure she wasn't a boy. So where did this little one come from?_

_Daisuke stepped out from behind Naru, holding his head high as he stared down the fawn. The fawn's tail drooped and his ears pressed against his head in fear. He got low to the ground, looking up at Daisuke._

_Daisuke padded cautiously over to the fawn, his tail spinning erratically and his ears twitching. He stopped just in front of the fawn. He lowered his nose to the fawn, sniffing the fawn carefully. He jerked his head back, looking back at Naru and tilting his head sideways in confusion._

"_What's the matter, Daisuke?" Naru asked, confusion permeating his own mind. He ran his hand between Daisuke's ears, bringing it around to cup the wolf's jaw._

_His smell is familiar, but there's something wrong with it, the wolf seemed to say. He shut his eyes and tucked his ears back as Naru pet him._

"_I sense that too, but I can't put a finger on it," Naru spoke slowly, almost to himself._

_He says to follow him, Daisuke thought up at Naru._

"_I guess we should go then," Naru said with a sigh, looking to the fawn, "Lead the way then." The fawn looked up at Naru, cocking his head to the side. He stood back up slowly. Turning, he started clomping into the darkness. With a sigh, Naru and Daisuke followed him._

_They walked for what seemed like a long time, but was probably only a few minutes in reality. A large metal cage loomed in the distance. When they came upon it, the fawn fazed through the corroded bars, lying next to the crying boy within._

_Naru was quiet for a long moment just watching the boy. Something about his presence was as familiar and off as the fawn's presence. "Why are you in this cage?" he finally asked, stepping close enough so that he could stick his hand through the bars if he wished. That was quite far off in the realm of possibilities, but it was still there._

_The boy jumped, falling over as he spun to face Naru. He had a shag of light brown hair framing steel grey eyes. "W-who are you?" the boy stuttered, eyes wide, "You're not like daddy are you?"_

"_Your dad? I don't even know your father," Naru said, confusion falling back into his mind. The similarities of the boy and a certain assistant were becoming more and more apparent._

"_Yes you do. He hurt Mommy and then you hurt him. You were protecting Mommy," he explained, the tears still glistening in streaks down his face and in the corners of his eyes. He spoke earnestly, attempting to convince Naru._

"_Are you talking about Ikki and Mai? But Mai doesn't have children yet. She still has five months of pregnancy to go," Naru said, capturing his chin and elbow, staring down at the boy. The cogs in his mind were spinning quickly, crunching through what the child had said._

"_Yes she does. I'm Mommy's baby," the boy said. He watched Naru curiously._

"_How can that be?" he murmured, but before he could contemplate further, the boy's tears started flowing again. Naru jumped as a sob broke through his thoughts. He stared with wide eyes at the boy in front of him. What had he done?_

_The boy jumped up, rushing towards the bars of the cage. "Mommy! Mommy!" the boy sobbed, slumping to the floor even though he couldn't touch the cage._

"_Uh…" Naru said, completely out of his element._

_The boy looked up at Naru. "You have to help Mommy. She's really sad and scared. Help Mommy. Help Mommy please," he pleaded, staring up at Naru, "Please. Please." Naru didn't get a chance to say anything else as the boy and the void were already fading quickly._

…..

Naru jerked awake, slamming forward in his seat. Slowly, it tipped sideways sending his sprawling on the floor. "God damnit," he muttered angrily, rubbing the back of his head. A sob from behind him caught his attention. He turned to find Mai sobbing into her hands. She scrubbed at her eyes, but the tears kept coming.

"Mai!" Naru said, jumping up and hurrying over to her, "What happened?"

"Th-they killed s-so m-many kids. Just for their power. They want to k-kill me t-too. I-I don't w-want to die," Mai stammered, hiccups and sobs breaking up her words, "Th-their father k-killed them b-because they were d-different. H-he c-couldn't d-deal with it. W-why is th-that? Why did he h-hate them for that?"

_So this is what the boy was talking about_, Naru thought, _but that doesn't explain who he is._

Naru wrapped his arms around Mai comfortingly, pulling her into his chest. "I don't know why he hated them, but I do know that people are scared by what they don't understand," he murmured to her, knowing that his words probably weren't helping, but that was about all he knew how to do.

"But why? We're not so different. We just have power. Why is that so wrong? Why is that so scary?" she asked, running her arms around his waist, squeezing the life out of him.

"I don't know," Naru said truthfully, letting her soak his shirt.

…..

"Bou-san, time to wake up!" Yasu shouted as he burst through Monk's door uninvited. Somewhere, sometime, he had learned how to pick a lock. It had come in pretty useful in a couple situations. Mostly for barging in on people at the worst possible time. This time was no exception. What he saw made him stop dead in his tracks. His eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open as he stared at the scene in front of him.

Monk and Ayako lay on the couch, a blanket thrown haphazardly over themselves. Ayako lay on top of Monk, her shoulders and back bare. They breathed slowly in a deep sleep. It was obvious that they had had an interesting night.

"They didn't even make it to his bed!" Yasu cried. A hand slammed over his mouth, but it was too late.

Monk and Ayako startled awake, staring in shock at the two teens. "Oh my God!" Ayako screamed, pulling the blanket tight around her and screaming even louder.

"Ayako, shut up! You're going to destroy my eardrums. My neighbors are going to call the cops on us!" Monk shouted over Ayako's screaming, trying to place a hand over her mouth. She bit down hard on his hands making him yowl in pain.

"Get out! Get out! Get out!" Ayako screeched, throwing everything she could get her hands on at Emma and Yasu. They scrambled back, throwing themselves out the door.

"Well, that was interesting," Yasu said with a huge grin. Emma shook her head and narrowed her eyes at him.

**There you go. That's the end of this chapter. Hope you liked this chapter. I actually did. I really like writing about the boy. I think I might bring him in some more. I wonder how many of you have guessed who he is yet. Review please :D**


	12. Chapter 12: Debt

**So I've decided this is going to be the last chapter for this story. Hope you enjoy it (:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt**

Chapter 12: Debt

"I hate you, Yasu," Ayako cried, her face still bright red as they entered the base to find Naru with Mai still in his arms. She was whispering to him, her eyes closed and her head resting on his shoulder. The group stopped in their tracks, staring at the couple sitting on the bed. Emma giggled behind her hand at the look on both Monk's and Ayako's faces.

The giggle alerted the two teens to their company. Mai sighed, moving her face to press into Naru's chest. Naru on the other hand glared angrily at the interruption. With a sigh of his own, he threw his legs over the side of the bed and slid to the floor. Mai kept her hands wrapping in tight fists around his shirt.

Yasu led the way into the room, pressing a hand over his mouth to hide the smile spreading across his face. "Hey guys, what's going on here?" he asked the amusement evident in his voice.

Naru cut a glare at him. He didn't answer the question. Instead, he said, "Matuzaki-san, Takigawa, I've got a job for the both of you. When John get here, he'll be helping you as well, but first, get me Doctor Hasegawa." He gave the group a pointed look, save Emma who stood off to the side watching the proceedings like a curious child.

"Why do you need him?" Monk asked, not moving from the spot he was still standing in.

Ayako had her hand on her hip, leaning to one side. "Yeah, why so suddenly? You haven't talked to the man since Ikki burst in here. By the way, whatever happened to him?" she asked pressing to a finger to her lips and staring at the ceiling.

Naru's lips twisted in an evil, satisfied smile. "Let's just say he won't be bothering us anymore," he murmured with a smirk. It was only there for a moment before he was back to his usual self. "Stop asking stupid questions and just go do what I've told you," he ordered with a bland look on his face.

Ayako pursed her lips. She huffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she turned towards the door. "Whatever," she huffed, dropping a tote bag onto a swivel chair and making her way outside of the room.

"Hey, wait up," Monk said, following after her.

"Wait for me lovebirds. I want to know how you ended up on the couch," he called, running after her.

Emma shook her head with a sigh. "I have no idea what I'm going to do with that boy," she murmured to herself, watching the three disappear down the hall before turning to the couple still at the bed, "Hey Mai, how are you feeling today?" She walked over, a small kind smile on her lips.

Mai finally looked up from her hiding place against Naru's chest. She glanced at Emma with one bloodshot eye. The part of her nose that Emma could see was bright red, like a crab had snapped its claw around it. "Okay," Mai mumbled her voice raspy from tears, watching her. Emma thought she looked like a little kid hiding against their father. That was a weird, yet she had to admit cute, thought.

"Are you sure? You look like you've had a hard time," Emma said worriedly, stepping up beside Naru who was watching her. Again he felt as if he was indebted to yet another one of his adopted teammates. He was starting to make a habit of it, and that was not something he enjoyed.

Mai nodded her head slightly. "My dream was really bad this time around," she mumbled almost inaudibly, burying her face in Naru's chest again. She was trying to smother the images that flashed across her mind's eye.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" Emma asked, patting and rubbing Mai's back soothingly, "I'm sorry I wasn't here to help you."

Mai gave her a small smile. "Don't worry. I had my knight in shining, black armor here to protect me," she said, only half joking. Naru put a hand on her head with a small, rare smile. His arm tightened around her waist protectively.

"And I'll always be here," Naru murmured to her, not realizing that Emma could actually hear what he had said.

Emma smiled to herself feeling better knowing that her newest friend was in good hands. She stood up. "Well Mai, do you want to come down to the kitchen with me? We can head by public bathroom so you can change. You'll finally be in your own clothes again. Ayako brought you some," she asked, smiling as she picked up the small red tote bag that Ayako had thrown on a chair.

Mai stood up a little straighter pulled her face from Naru's chest. She looked up at him asking if it was safe to go. "Yeah, you should go. You need some food and I would like my clothes back," he said, ending with a teasing grin.

"You're mean," she pouted, turning her head away from him and staring at the curtained off window.

"Only for you," he said, kissing her on the cheek and then moving away towards the monitors.

Emma giggled at Mai's burning face. Mai stood there for a long moment, her mouth hanging open. She visibly shook herself out of surprise and walked over to the window. "Well, at least get some sun while I'm gone," she said, flinging the curtains open and basking in the warm sun. She laughed as Naru almost imperceptibly flinched. She turned to Emma with a bright Mai-like smile, "I'm really hungry, what are they serving today?"

"I don't know," Emma answered with a huge grin, "Let's go find out."

…..

"Ready?" Naru asked into the microphone, staring at a screen that had been set up in a separate room. To think that they'd been staying in the very room where more than six girls had been killed. To think that Mai had been in that room for over three months. It made him angry and slightly sick.

"Ready," Monk, John and Ayako echoed together. Monk stood in the middle of the room. Ayako and John leaned against the wall, watching him and ready to jump in at any time.

"Then let's begin," Naru said.

Mai sat beside him in a comfy swivel chair that one of the doctor's had provided her, clutching Naru's hand tightly in hers. She watched the screen dubiously, ready to cover her eyes at a moment's notice.

Monk began chanting. Almost instantly, the monitor registered the drop in temperature. Ayako shivered on the edge of the frame. She muttered something in the back of her throat that sounded more like a snarl then actual words.

Mai began shivering like she was in the freezing room with them. "They're coming," she stammered, her voice as quiet as a mouse.

Naru's eyes darted down to her before returning to the screen. Two children suddenly appeared in the doorway. "Takigawa, they're behind you," Naru told Monk.

He spun around, chanting harder than before. Ayako and John joined him, their chants and prayers overlapping one another in an endless loop.

The kids stared at the team for a long time, their eyes hollow as the dead. Their pupils were dilated shrinking the iris until only a sliver on it was visible. Frowns painted their face. "You're not Miss. Where is Miss?" they asked quietly, their voices as hollow and dead as their eyes.

"We don't know," Ayako told them once she'd finished chanting. It was obvious that conventional methods. She reached out with her mind, silently searching for the one live tree that could save them. She felt a tiny flicker on the edge of her consciousness. She called out to the power even as she spoke.

"Don't try to lie to us. You're hiding her," the children said together, their eyes narrowing to slits of anger.

"And what if we are?" Monk asked confidently making Ayako want to slap herself in the forehead. Could the man be anymore stupid than to provoke angry, murderous ghosts.

The children smiled leering grins. "Then I guess we'll just have to take your powers," they sneered.

Suddenly, all three of them were slammed into the wall. They groaned in pain, slumping to the floor. Mai gasped, staring her friends, her family. She got up to go help, but Naru grabbed her wrist.

"Let go of me Naru!" she shouted, struggling against his hold, "They need my help!"

"It's too dangerous for you. It's almost over anyway," Naru told her, glancing between both Mai and the monitor in front of him.

The children walked slowly over to the trio, standing over them. Ever so slowly, the children unhooked their jaws. "Time to feet," the little girl told her brother.

"Now Matsuzaki-san!" Naru shouted.

Ayako jumped to her feet. The power of the tree filled her with a warmth associated with laying down in the grass under the summer sun. She started chanting, ringing the bell tied to a branch. Where she'd gotten the branch, no one knows.

The children began screaming. "Make it stop! Make it stop!" they screamed at the top of their lungs.

Ayako swished the branch through the air. The boy disappeared in a show of golden sparks. The girl followed her with a swing of the stick. Ayako finished up. She grinned and gave the camera a thumb's up.

…..

"Thank you so much," Doctor Hasegawa said for about the millionth time now. He stood beside the van, bowing to Naru deeply. "This means a lot to us. Thank you so very much."

"Don't worry about it," Mai told the doctor before Naru could say anything, "It was our pleasure. I should be thanking you for taking care of me for so long."

"No, you don't have to thank us. We were happy to help you," he said, backing away from the van as Lin jumped in the driver's seat, "I wish you and your baby good health. Goodbye."

"Bye!" Mai shouted out the window, leaning over Naru to stick her head out of the window. She waved goodbye to the doctor, the hospital, and its horror filled history.

**THE END**

**Hope you guys liked the last chapter. Sorry for the very late update. I hope you guys had an awesome Valentine's Day (otherwise known as Single's Awareness Day which is my category). Be looking forward to a sequel for "A Christmas Gift". Review please :D**


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